The trope of the orphan child showing the evils of society, there is a bit of that in this text. Q: Abdul’s story reminds me of a Dickens novel.Ī: Dickens created the archetype of the orphan child in western culture, as did Charlotte Brontë. By the age of 13, Abdul himself becomes a sexual predator but he grows into an intelligent, talented young man who finds his home and refuge in dance. “Push” may have had enough tragedy for more than one lifetime, but things actually get worse in “The Kid.” Once orphaned, Abdul suffers physical and sexual abuse for four years in a foster home and Catholic orphanage run by religious brothers in Harlem. Sapphire’s brilliant writing gives voice to an illiterate young woman and transforms her language on her path to literacy and self-esteem.įourteen years later, Sapphire’s second novel, “ The Kid,” follows Precious’ beloved 9-year old son Abdul, who must cope when his mother dies of AIDS.

“Push’s” obese protagonist, Precious, is an abused, illiterate African-American teen mother from Harlem who bears two children by her father. Her first work, the poetry and prose collection “ American Dreams” (1993), won her intellectual literary acclaim, but “ Push” (1997) propelled the New York-based writer from the city’s poetry circles to Hollywood (“ Precious” is the book’s film adaptation) and book reading clubs across the country. graduate who goes by the pen name Sapphire. Most writers’ first novels do not get made into an Oscar-winning film, but that’s what happened to the Brooklyn College M.F.A.

Dreams of desire sequel